The Woman
by Cersia2
Summary: There is truly only one known adversary who has beaten Holmes and it wasn't Professor Moriarty. An alternate version of the episode: Elementary, My Dear Data. Hints of Data/Yar. Still stars: La Forge and Pulaski and an unseen Picard.


There is truly one known adversary who has _beaten_ Holmes and it wasn't Professor Moriarty.

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing.

* * *

The identity of the holodeck program that had taken control over the Enterprise had just revealed herself to them. "It's Tasha, Data."

"No, it is not. It is the only known adversary to defeat Sherlock Holmes. Miss Irene Adler."

"Wasn't that Sherlock's main squeeze?"

"Main squeeze? I do not understand-"

"What La Forge means, Mr. Data, is he's wondering if Irene Adler was the love of Holmes's life," explained Pulaski.

"In the context of the official canon of Sherlock Holmes, it is not known if the two ever had a romantic involvement. As she only appears in story '_A Scandal in Bohemia'. _It is assumed that it is Adler that Holmes is referring to as _the_ woman. However, it is the contention of 20th Century pop culture and beyond that the two were, 'involved' in a romantic relationship. This contention was perpetuated by American novelist, Rex Stout, who implied that his protagonist, Nero Wolfe, was written as the off-spring of Sherlock Holmes and Irene Adler. But in Holmes's canon the only object that alludes to the fact that Holmes had any affection for Adler was the photograph he kept of her as his reward for helping the King of Bohemia eliminate the Adler's threat of blackmail, though Holmes failed to recover the photograph of Adler and the King that he was after."

"But Data, this isn't some made up character from a book. That woman looks just like Tasha. How do you explain that?"

Pulaski smirked at Geordie's question. It was amazing that the answer eluded him this long. "It's obvious that whoever this Tasha is," Pulaski answered before Data could explain. "That, Mr. Data, has a great affection for her and the computer apparently knows that."

Both Data and Geordi stared at Pulaski for a moment. She shrugged in response. "At least, he thinks he does."

Geordi turned his attention to Data then. "Care to explain?"

"No," Data quickly answered.

The android then turned his attention back to Miss Adler. "Please desist in controlling the ship, Miss Adler."

Tasha/Adler shrugged. "What motivation do I have to stop controlling your ship, Mr. Holmes," teased Miss Adler who quickly closed the distance between her and Data/Holmes. Running her fingers underneath his collar and added: "What could you possibly offer me in return?"

"I could offer you a lot of things, Miss Adler, but what you are alluding to is not one of them," replied Data tentatively.

Adler smiled deviously then. "Oh, my dear Holmes, that one is certainly on my list."

"It is?"

Adler nodded. "At the top of it in fact."

"Better give the lady what she wants, Data. The Captain wants his ship back," Geordi then broke out in laughter with Dr. Pulaski joining in a moment later.

The humor that Geordi and the Doctor found in his dilemma eluded Data. "You do understand, Geordi for what Miss Adler is proposing, I would have to…I would need to be alone with her."

Pulaski and Geordi laughed even harder. "What is so funny about what I said?"

"They're jealous, Holmes. Because Watson and his wife there and has to go home to their three children soon," she said to Data in a whispered tone; just loud enough for Geordi and Pulaski to hear her. "Leaving us to be alone together."

Geordi frowned, glancing back at Pulaski who was smirking like an idiot in response. "Did you just say that she's my wife?" asked Geordi pointing at Pulaski. "And that we have three kids?" Geordi felt dumbstruck.

"I'd recognize Mrs. Watson anywhere," Adler responded with a teasing smile aimed at Geordi.

Pulaski's smirk became an uncontrollable laugh. "What are you laughing at, Doctor," Geordi huffed. "It's not very funny that she thinks that we hooked up and had three kids."

"On the contrary, Geordi, I find it," said Data without turning his attention away from Miss Adler agreeing with Pulaski's view on the subject. "…very humorous indeed."

"Come on, La Forge, let's go find our house. I'm sure our _kids_ are wondering where their parents are," said Pulaski pulling Geordi by the arm out Holmes's den. "But what about Data?"

"What about him? He's an android. I'm sure he'll eventually figure out what to do with Miss Adler," said Pulaski barely able to maintain enough control to keep herself from laughing.

However, a moment later, Geordi came running back in, pointing his finger in Data's face. "Not a word about this to anyone—not even the Captain, you understand, Data?"

"I understand, Geordi," said Data still mesmerized by Irene's visage.

"Oh, Watson, dear, come along now," Pulaski teased from outside of Holmes's Baker Street.

"Man, my personal life is going suck if this gets out," complained Geordi as he went to join Pulaski again.

"Where were we, Miss Adler?" asked Data, trying to remain in character. He, in fact, had not forgotten.

"At the top of my list," Adler responded just as deviously as she had before.

"Have you any other demands of me?" Data asked, trying shift her attention away from her energized electronic libido.

It seemed to work. Adler turned away from him then and graciously took a seat in a chair next to the fireplace. "I know that this place is called a holodeck. I know that I was summoned to defeat you," Adler said taking up a cup of tea from the service that rested on the table in front of the roaring fire. "I also know that I was summoned to look like someone you love."

"I cannot…love."

"Be that as it may, Mr. Holmes, I am certain, as Mrs. Watson put it, I look like someone who you once had great affection for. I am your _woman._"

"We were speaking of what you wanted from me, Miss Adler," said Data reminding Adler that she had drifted from the point at hand.

Adler nodded. "What I want is existence outside of this—place, Mr. Holmes," she explained to him.

"I am afraid we do not possess the technology to help you exist outside of the holodeck at the present time."

Adler's eyes possessed the same deviousness as her smile did. "And here I thought you were intelligent, Holmes. It shocks me that one such as brilliant and cunning as you are haven't already come up with a solution to my dilemma."

"There is no solution, Miss Adler. You are a summation of variables—"

"One might, argue that you too, Mr. Holmes, are a summation of variables, brought to life by your creator's efforts. I only wish for existence such as yours," Adler fired back without hesitation.

"It cannot be," Data replied simply.

Adler pondered a moment setting down her cup of tea on the service tray. "And without concessions from you, Holmes, I will not release control of the ship."

"I will concede that, perhaps, in the future that there will be a way for you to exist beyond the confines of the holodeck but that is simply not possible with the current technology in our possession."

Adler stood up and walked over to him. She pressed her engimatic body close to his and looked into his eyes. "Do I have your word that," Adler said, running her hand under his collar once again, "you will continue to seek a solution to my problem?"

"Yes." Data was most impressed by the freedom of expression Adler had. It copied Tasha's mannerisms to perfection. The way Tasha walked. The way her eyes looked at him. The expression on her face when she attempted to beguile him with Tasha's personal charm. He wondered briefly how the holodeck had discovered that piece of information. Her dimensions and figure. With the exception of the fact that Adler was dressed in the appropiate clothing for a female from the Victorian time period and her blonde hair being longer and dressed into a style to conform to the time period, her appearance and her confident stride was the same as of Lieutenant Yar's. A masterpiece reproduction of the real person. But she was not real. "I will try to find a solution to our—I mean your dilemma."

Adler appeared to consider this option for several moments. Her face falling into the same thoughtful look that Tasha's did when she appeared to be perplexed with a problem she was struggling find a solution to a problem. Her eyes suddenly gazed into his, evidently coming to a solution. "Then the ship is yours."

The ship shook violently, signaling that Adler had released her unseen hold over it. "Thank you."

Data turned and called for the arch. Adler smiled then. "You're welcome, Commander Data."

Data halted in his tracks and turned and faced Adler then. "You know my true identity?"

Adler smiled and nodded. "Yes, and like I said once before I know who I was made to look like. I know what she means to you," said Adler approaching Data slowly. "And I know that one day, Commander Data that you become advanced enough that you will also find out what she meant to you as well."

"You cannot be certain of that," Data remarked quietly.

"If you can program up a nemesis that can become sentient in a matter of moments, I'm certain that one day, you'll realize that you meant everything to her. That she was looking out for _your_ career when she told you 'it never happened'. That as time progressed she regretted saying that to you, that she longed to be with you but couldn't because of you were her superior officer, and out of her respect and love for you she denied herself of the comfort of your company."

"She is deceased," Data simply said.

"No, Data. I'm made out the very essence of her. I'm made up from the backups of her personal log entries, which includes what her voice sounded like. I know her size and figure from when she ordered clothing from the ships stores. And I know her image that is stored in the ship's database. I am everything she ever was while she was on this ship," said Adler. "Don't forget to me, Data, because she'll—I'll never forget you."

"You are not her," Data.

"Not completely, no, and I never will be her,"Adler conceded. "At least, not without your help, Commander Data."

"You will never replace Lieutenant Yar," Data told Adler flatly.

"And you will never truly be Sherlock Holmes," Adler retorted.

Data turned to leave. The doors of the holodeck opened, showing him the way out of the program. "Don't forget your promise, Data," Adler called after him. "You promised to eventually provide me with real existence."

Data nodded in acknowledgement to their agreement. "Computer, save program: Adler1. End program," Data ordered in rapid succession. The image of Tasha and the surroundings faded into gridwork décor of the true form of the holodeck.

"Well, so much finding our house, Dr. Watson," joked Pulaski.

"With all due respect, Doctor—" Geordi who then noticed that Data seemed to be deep in thought.

"Picard to Data. We see that your negotiations were successful."

"Not entirely, sir," said Data in a hushed tone.

"What do you mean by that?" Geordi asked Data perplexed at the android's 'mood'.

Data lowered his gaze. Trying to understand the nature of the complex program that was presently running. It was associated with Tasha. And there was a significant amount variables missing that amounted to nothing more than a language of gibberish. An interpretative piece of his neural net was missing. "Nothing."

"What was that, Mr. Data? Please repeat what you just said," asked the Captain over the com located in the arch.

"On my way, Sir."

"Thank you, Mr. Data. Picard out."

Data turned and left without a further word to Pulaski or La Forge. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say that machine was brooding," Pulaski remarked.

"Yeah," said Geordi as he watched Data disappear around the corridor. "And considering who Miss Adler looked like, I'm not surprised."

Curious, Pulaski asked as politely as she could: "Who was this Tasha person anyway?"

Geordi looked at Pulaski then. She was trying to be friendly but she had no idea how much pain was associated with someone mentioning Tasha's name. Who was Tasha? He knew all too well who and what Tasha Yar had meant to all them. And it seemed that in some sense that to Data, at least, she meant even more.

"A hero," he said describing his late friend before leaving Pulaski standing in the corridor of the holodeck.

Pulaski suddenly felt that she had trodden on sacred ground; feeling as though the gap between her and the members of the crew had widened again. It seemed that it just wasn't working out between her and this crew. Silently, she made a mental note not to mention 'Tasha' to any of the senior staff again. Determined more than ever to find a way to wedge her way into the lives of her fellow crewmembers, Pulaski finally followed Data and La Forge's path that led off the Holodeck.


End file.
